Looks like Rudolph won’t be lighting the way for Santa and the gang this year! If he’s like more than half of Canadians (52%), he’ll be too busy texting, BBM-ing or calling to spend time with the other reindeer. A recent survey commissioned by Virgin Mobile Canada reveals that even wholesome “family time” can’t keep Canadians away from texting and calling – so the holidays this year are all about who’s on the phone instead of who’s at the table!
“Most think of the holidays as down time with the family, but our recent survey shows that Canadians are thinking about more than family while they’re gobbling up that turkey and opening the presents,” says Andrew Bridge, Managing Director, Virgin Mobile Canada. “Canadians are taking a break from the family time to send out greetings, keep up on the latest gossip and even send a few naughty notes! Whether it’s at the dinner table or caroling by the tree, we’re all about keeping up on our mobile phones and making sure we don’t miss a single e-mail, text or tweet!”
Phones are the new holiday hot spot
Are Canadians spending all their time texting Santa their personal wish list? Survey says – not likely. Nearly 3 out of 5 of Canadians (58%) send generic holiday cheer to friends and family rather than personalized messages – even to Santa! So, if we’re not sending heartfelt holiday notes, what are we doing on our phones?
No matter the age, Christmas is for texting. More than half of Canadians older than 55 (53%) can’t get through the holidays without their cells vs. 55% of 18-34 year olds.
Old school no more. Traditional methods of communication during the holiday season, such as hand-written notes (2%) and the telegram (0%) now appear to be obsolete.
Family vs. flirt. 28% of Canadian’s admit to sending flirty text messages to their crush during “family time.”
Who’s the friskiest reindeer at the table? 49% of Canadians aged 18-34 have sent saucy messages during holiday time – and 10% of adults 55 years and older are doing the same thing. Keep an eye on your parents’ cell phones during family dinner!
Texting sweet nothings. More boys than girls are getting naughty by text – almost a third of guys (32%) send their lovers a little something during holiday family hour.
“With awesome superphones making it easy to text, call, e-mail and message our friends and family, the only reason to leave the house is to go get more eggnog!” continued Bridge. “The holidays are the perfect time to catch up with everyone you know – and now you can do it all from your phone.”
